i have been extremely blessed here at the MTC. let me explain why: for every week I have been set apart as a missionary, I have found a friend. the first week, it was Sister Kah and Elder Hamby in the Ogden Mission Home. The next week, it was Sister Ray and Elder Irvine headed to Boise Idaho. The following week was Moe, a friend's fiance, at the temple. Skip a week. I found Motra Henderson on my way to dinner last P-day, but I think my favorite run happened this week at the temple.
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We were attempting to take a Zone selfie, which was successfully done (i will have to send the proof next week...) and I was trying to find Motra Henderson; all of sudden I hear my name. And I couldn't tell you if he called me Janelle, Hermana Graves, or Sister Graves. But he called my name, I responded "yes," looked up, and say Elder Evan Nelson standing in front of me. I have never wanted to break the missionary rules so much in my entire life. My Branch President was standing across the way, and I'm pretty sure he thought I was crazy as I screamed and got really excited and just was being me.... Elder Nelson got into the MTC last Wednesday, and leaves on Tuesday for a mission in Colorado. The Lord knew I needed a friend this week, and so he sent me Elder Nelson.
Hna. Garfield, I, Elder Nelson and his companion.
Motra Henderson and I outside of the Provo Temple.
in other news:
-district a left, and so we spent quite a solid hour posing for pictures.
elder muirbrook (our district leader), his companion elder jungers, and our district leaders elder wiscomb and elder ipson.
by the time we had gotten to this picture, elder ipson had posed for quite a few pictures, so we had to do a funny one and try and imitate elder ipson's glorious smile!
(elder ipson, elder wiscomb, hermana smith, hermana cornell, hermana garfield, and me)
district c had to be cool, so they got a picture
The Zone selfie!
this picture is a little out-dated, but this is my district:
from back to front, elder jagneaux, elder muirbrook, elder jungers, elder rankin; hermana smith, me, hermana cornell, and hermana garfield.
tuesday: each week you have two service assignments, and usually on tuesdays we sisters help clean the main building on campus, one m. also, there are 33 flags that fly outside of the MTC each day, the American flag and the England flag (because the pulley system is broken) always fly. But we got to pick 31 flags to fly over the MTC! It was fantastic!! so much fun to have races to see who can crack the flag up the fastest... :) we also got the news that hermana garfield and i would be participating in "people and our purpose: part 1." the next evening.
wednesday: when you come into the MTC, after dinner your first night, they have a seminar called "people and your purpose" where you have the opportunity to have the first lesson with an investigator basically. you meet three investigators and the "old" missionaries help you get to a point where you could kind of start talking doctrine. then the moderator pauses the scene, and then the new missionaries (there are like 40 of you in a room) take over. guess which part we got to do? in english!! yeah, it was not my favorite thing to think about doing, but we got it figured out.. and we really were able to ask some great questions that I will be writing down to use in later lessons.
before I came to the MTC, uncle curtis gave me some advice. "don't translate, just speak." and I had no idea how to do it. the first couple of weeks I was here, there was just no way I was going to understand myself. and then this past week, i figured out what he meant. if i tried to just simply speak spanish, but sentences were much more fluid and i could actually speak the language, but if i tried to translate from english to spanish, my head was a mess... needless to say, i have been trying to just speak and not translate this week.
as i prepare to leave the mtc, i thought i would share some thoughts with you:
-love your companion, you are supposed to be with her/him every waking moment. if you don't, you will be miserable.
-love your district. they maybe juvenile at times, and you don' t have to love the decisions that they are making, but that's it. those decisions are theirs to make.
-have a sit down and really get to know the district.
-go to the temple as a zone, at least once.
-there is no tree that smells like cream soda.
-the vending machines get stocked on tuesdays. (i think...)
-yes, your MTC card works at the vending machines.
-print off your emails in the morning, write responses, and then go and do emails in the afternoon.
-sack meals are great for pdays, and the mornings you have service.
and then something for mom:
Who can we pray for on your end of the world? Is there an investigator that you are leaving that could use some extra prayers? pray for the gifts of tongues and discernment, heaven knows i will need it
What has been your biggest challenge this week? in field orientation. a 9 hour seminar, all done with a pounding headache
What has been your biggest concern? i will be in a foreign country, with no ingles, in four days.
What has been your biggest success? i feel comfortable speaking the language. if i don't translate (like uncle curtis said) and just try and speak simply, my spanish is understandable and for the most part grammatically correct.
Who has been your favorite person this week & why? the Lord. we taught a lesson on Sunday to the district about having faith through trials, and the blessings that can come through enduring through those trials.
What has been your most significant tender mercy? teachers who are willing to sit down with you and help you understand hard topics. we are focusing on the subjunctive form in spanish this week, and it just wasn't making sense. thankfully, hermano ostler took the time to kneel beside me and help me understand it a little bit better....
What are you looking forward to this coming week? this week? an exciting new adventure in Nicaragua!
Do you have a goal set for this coming week? Tell me about it? love my companion, don't drown in the spanish. memorize a new scripture
Which scripture has had the biggest impact on you this week? 3 Nephi 5:13 -- He aquí, soy discípulo de Jesucristo, el Hijo de Dios. He llamado por él para declarar su palabra entre los de su pueblo a fin de que alcansen la vida eterna.
this gospel is true, the book is blue, and i love you!
the tennessee Hermana
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